Comedian succeeding without aid of TV, film

Monday

Oct 31, 2011 at 12:01 AMOct 31, 2011 at 12:36 PM

Brian Regan has built a thriving stand-up career on observations about life, family and aging. The 53-year-old Las Vegas comic was interviewed ahead of his performance on Saturday in the Palace Theatre.

Michael Grossberg, For The Columbus Dispatch

Brian Regan has built a thriving stand-up career on observations about life, family and aging.

The 53-year-old Las Vegas comic was interviewed ahead of his performance on Saturday in the Palace Theatre.

Q: You represent the few comedians who have made the leap from comedy clubs to big crowds at larger theaters without the exposure of films or their own TV shows. How?

A: I don’t want to sound like I’m patting myself on the back. .?.?. One reason I’m lucky enough to keep doing this and gaining fans is that I try to keep coming up with new material.

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Q: What sparks your sense of humor?

A: You try to keep your antenna up about everyday things. Sometimes, all you need is a scrap of paper to come up with stuff: I saw a van recently for some business; I don’t know what the business was about. Two things were printed on the side of the van: “We speak English” and “We delivery."

A: A good thing about getting older is that, every time you look in a mirror, you get a surprise. I recently noticed a 2-inch hair coming out of the middle of my forehead. I know it was 2 inches because I measured it. I don’t know how long it takes for hair to grow 2 inches, but nobody in my life bothered to tell me about it. So they must have had daily conversations: “Has he noticed it? He must not.”

Loved ones are supposed to put you on the right track. I was so embarrassed; I cut it off two weeks after I found out.

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Q: What other comics do you admire?

A: I’m a Jerry Seinfeld fan. I like how much mileage he gets out of the mundane. He would do a three-minute routine on a bag of cotton balls. To keep looking at something to find something funny — that’s sort of my quest, too.

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Q: You played football at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio. Do you see any similarities between sports and comedy?

A: It’s the risk-reward thing. When you get onstage, you’re risking your mental comfort. If you bomb onstage, that’s not a pleasant experience. But the flip side: If you have a great show, that’s a fantastic feeling. It was the same in sports.